A Closer Look

What makes the HD135 special is that it is a typical sized, small-form factor case, yet can still take a full-size power supply and full height add-in cards without the need of a riser card.


On top of the case is an integrated blower fan which exhausts hot air from the CPU area straight out of the case. This is a great solution since it keeps CPU temperatures down and also creates a good deal of pressure in the case, so air is sucked in from the outside through the other ventilation openings.


The second preinstalled fan is at the bottom of the case. It also blows hot air out of the case and is mighty good at it. It is very quiet and can go really slow to still have sufficient air going out. Because of its position at the bottom it tends to be more quiet than the top exhaust fan.


This is the ingenious solution that can accommodate a standard sized PSU. The bottom of the case where the PSU sits is lowered a bit so that you can fit any regular PSU in there. This is a great solution because it allows you to save money by not having to buy a special PSU. Another plus is that you can exactly choose the PSU you want and need. Small form factor PSUs are usually not available in high powered configurations.


Near the front there are three drive cages which can be easily removed by just unscrewing a single screw each. At the left and right are cages for three harddisks each. In the center for a standard sized CD/DVD-ROM. Again, you won't have to buy special small form factor optical drives with this case. The bottom drive bay on the left is also special since you can put a floppy drive or card reader in there.


When opening the lid at the front the drive there will be accessible from the outside.


On the left side you find the front panel IO. It is usually hidden behind the lid.


Also on the left, above the IO ports is the power button. A blue LED is lighting up when the system is on. The metal switch looks very good, the LED is rather dim, which I really like because it doesn't light up half of your room when you are watching a movie with the lights turned off.


The card slots on the backside are just standard screwless aluminum covers. They are fixed sufficiently well. As we will see later in the installation section, the tool-free locking mechanism is fool proof and works great.